Let's get Vincent to the Globe
FOR THE BARD: Among the many achievements of WHS student Vincent Collins is the opportunity to perform Shakespeare in stage at the famous Globe Theatre in London.
PHOTO courtesy of Paul Brooks.
In July next year Whanganui High School's Vincent Collins will be on stage at the Globe Theatre in London, acting in an as-yet unannounced Shakespearian play.
It is an honour he has earned with hard work, aptitude and not a little talent.
"I did school plays in primary school [St George's Preparatory School]. We had to do class plays and I enjoyed that," he says. He also performed in a Wanganui Collegiate production.
Near the end of Year 10 Vincent moved to Whanganui High School, and, although not a drama student, took part in the production of Annie last year.
The road to the Globe, says the Year 12 student, has been a long process.
"Towards the end of last year, I said to my friend, Caitlyn Friedel, do you want to do a five-minute scene for the regional festival (University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival - UOSWSF)? She said, yeah, ok, and I said it was in French." Caitlyn still agreed to do it.
It was Henry V, Act 3, Scene 4, and it was chosen because it is a scene for two people and is the right length for the competition.
"I wanted to do a comedy. The scene [from Henry V] was originally done by two females so I changed my character to be a male."
The scene was also chosen because it is not a popular one and there would be a good chance they'd be the only two performing it at the regionals.
"There's always the last scene from Twelfth Night, the play within a play ... and there's always the death scene from Othello. We wanted to do something fresh."
The regional competition was held at Whanganui Girls' College and one performance was selected to perform in the UOSWSF national competition - Vincent and Caitlyn.
"We performed our scene at the Michael Fowler Centre and at the awards evening, along with design competitions I had entered and in which I came second, I also picked up the Extraordinary Performance Award."
There are 23 regional festivals, from each of which is chosen a direct entry into Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ National Shakespeare School Production (NSSP).
"At the national festival they select another 23 performers and put forward the winning costumier and musician/composer. That's a total of 48 people, 46 of whom are performers. Those 46 go to NSSP."
NSSP alternates between Wellington and Dunedin. For Vincent the venue was Dunedin, where he spent a week. The company was split into three groups and Vincent, with 14 others, performed 40 minutes of Julius Caesar.
"We spent the whole week working with directors, doing workshops and putting together this excerpt. Out of the 48, including the costumier and composer - who work making costumes and music throughout the week - they select 24 to take to the Globe. It's a very rigorous process. You know at the very beginning of NSSP that what you do there counts towards the Globe.
"To get to NSSP is on acting merit. To get to Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ Young Shakespeare Company (YSC) they look at your acting, how well you interact with others, how well you take in and use knowledge, and how well you gel with the group. For YSC they want to take the tightest group of people they can, who won't have a lot of dramas and conflict."
At the Globe Vincent and the others will perform a Shakespearian play, the name of which they will learn before they go to London. Their roles, however, will not be announced until after they arrive.
"The director will announce the cast and there will be quite a lot of role splitting, meaning they will have multiple people playing the same roles. They did the same at NSSP, where I played Brutus in the first scene then didn't play anything until Scene 10 after which it was minor characters.
Vincent likes Shakespeare but he is aware of the stigma attached to the plays, especially among high school aged people, and admits the language can be difficult.
In Year 10 it clicked and he can now read, understand and interpret the language through its linguistic nuances.
"A lot of his comedies are quite saucy," says Vincent, using a word seldom used by someone so young. "It was when I realised that what the actors were saying on stage in those times had to be understood by the audience. So if you don't think too hard and take it for what it is, then you can start enjoying it."
To get to the Globe Vincent has to raise $8500 and is using a Facebook and Givealittle page to help achieve that. Search under Get Vincent to the Globe to find the Facebook page, in which is a link to the Givealittle page.
Vincent is also planning his own fundraising as well as applying for scholarships to assist.
While he does not intend to pursue an acting career - he takes chemistry, classics, art design Level 2, maths (trigonometry, Algebra, statistics), physics and English at school - Vincent sees the opportunity as a form of self improvement.
"I definitely know that the skills I learn from being part of YSC, such as self-management, time management, co-operating and working with others, will all benefit me in the future. I think being on stage helps with confidence, putting yourself out there and performing and acting is the best way to do that. I know from acting in school productions and learning piano that I have gained confidence."
At the recent Whanganui High School Cultural Awards night held at the Royal Wanganui Opera House, Vincent received his Cultural Colours, the Way Trophy for Outstanding Theatrical Performance and his Cultural Blues, which are awarded for placing first in a national event or by receiving the highest position in a chosen field.
He also recently was awarded High Distinction in his Grade 6 piano exam (New Zealand Music Examinations Board - NZMEB) gained with teacher Marie Brooks.
After Year 13 he intends to attend either Victoria or Canterbury universities.
By Paul Brooks
Wanganui Midweek 26/10/16